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Chapter 84: Legal Sector Panics — Interrogation Before the Norse Lands
しおりを挟む
Turning back a few hours earlier…
The time in Wonderland was now 9:45 PM
Back in the Serapeum of Saqqara…
Ryo groaned in pain. “Ughh…”
He crouched low, clutching his right arm.
Cleopatra noticed immediately.
Her expression hardened with worry as she rushed to him. “Are you alright?!”
Ryo forced a weak smile as he looked up at her.
“I’m fine…” he said lightly. “Just feeling… a little pain in my right arm.”
“Little?” Cleopatra thought. That didn’t sound convincing at all.
She crouched beside him, then slid his right sleeve up.
Dark bruises bloomed across his arm.
Her eyes flared.
She scolded him harshly, demanding he stop lying and tell her the truth. Seeing both anger and worry burning in her gaze, Ryo exhaled slowly and gave in.
He explained that when he deflected Nezha’s Ruyi Jingu Bang with his tonfa, the sheer force crushed against his arm, bruising it badly. Nezha’s strength was no joke—far beyond anything human.
Cleopatra immediately insisted they return to her temple to have it treated.
Ryo agreed.
Nearby, White Rabbit lowered his head.
He apologized, saying that the case he hired Ryo for had only led him into danger and injury.
Ryo smiled gently.
He told White Rabbit not to worry—this wasn’t the first time he’d faced danger. Back when he was still a police officer, before becoming a detective, he’d been injured and hospitalized far more times than he cared to count.
White Rabbit nodded. He knew Ryo was trying to reassure him—but it didn’t ease the guilt.
White Rabbit then turned toward Cheshire.
The cat stood off to the side, ears drooping, eyes lowered.
White Rabbit walked over and asked what was wrong.
Cheshire admitted he felt like a failure. When Osiris stood before him, he couldn’t move—fear rooted him in place. As the guard of the Ekhropolis Realm entrance, he should’ve stood firm… but instead, he felt small.
White Rabbit suggested they follow Cleopatra’s advice—return to her temple and take a breather.
Cheshire nodded, though the heaviness in his expression remained.
Bastet gently lifted the unconscious Aiseira onto her shoulder, careful not to move her too much, and the group made their way up the stairs, leaving the Serapeum behind.
Outside, people from the city still surrounded the Sphinx.
They asked what had happened to the prisoner, Ra, who had been dragged away in a carriage by the Blighted Deities and the card soldiers.
Cleopatra didn’t answer.
She ordered everyone to disperse and return to the city.
Though disappointed at receiving no answers, the crowd eventually complied and slowly made their way back.
Ryo glanced toward the distant city and frowned.
It was far—around three and a half kilometers.
Too far to walk.
They couldn’t rely on Aiseira’s divine hovering magic either. She was still unconscious—and even if she weren’t, Ryo assumed she’d lash out at them after being forced to watch her Sovereign taken away.
Bastet reassured everyone not to worry. She explained that she possessed divine magic suited for long-distance travel.
She raised one hand and aimed straight at the sand in front of them. Two spectral cats materialized—each the size of a lion. Their bodies glowed bright blue and translucent, like wandering souls given form, resembling lost souls.
Ryo had thought Bastet’s divine powers were strictly combat-oriented after she retired from being a goddess.
Bastet explained that these spectral cats were souls who had died and accepted her as their master.
They served as her attack unit—but she also used them for transportation.
She instructed Ryo and Cleopatra to ride one cat together, while she took the other with Aiseira, White Rabbit, and Cheshire. She assured them not to worry—although the cats were spectral, she had adjusted their bodies to feel solid, allowing people to sit on them instead of passing through.
Cleopatra flushed instantly at the thought of riding with Ryo.
Ryo suggested she take the front seat. His right arm was injured, his grip weakened by the bruise, so he would hold onto her shoulder with his left hand while sitting behind her.
Cleopatra looked disappointed.
She’d clearly hoped for something closer—but reluctantly agreed.
They mounted the spectral cats.
As they took off at a powerful gallop, the wind rushed past them.
Ryo struggled slightly to steady himself at the sudden speed and accidentally ended up embracing Cleopatra from behind.
Her face turned red—then absolutely radiant with satisfaction.
Ryo immediately apologized.
Cleopatra replied that it was fine… and that he should hold her forever.
Ryo could only let out a tired breath.
They sped past the same citizens from earlier, who were still walking back toward the city—and then past the carriage carrying Ra inside. Ryo’s group glanced at it.
Nezha sat atop the carriage, while Osiris sat at the front beside a Valkyrie. Both smirked and waved.
No one in Ryo’s group said a word. Ryo gave a single nod, expressionless.
Within ten minutes, Ryo’s group reached the ancient city.
Soon after, they arrived at the Temple of the Midnight Jackal.
Jackal-masked guards greeted them—but froze when they saw Aiseira unconscious. They hurried forward, offering to take her inside. Carefully, they lifted her from Bastet’s shoulder. Since Ryo’s bag pack was still strapped to Aiseira’s back, Bastet removed it and returned it to him. The guards then carried Aiseira into the temple, placing her gently on a bed in a prepared room.
At the entrance, the spectral cats dissolved into glowing particles and vanished, their task complete.
Bastet turned to Ryo and Cleopatra.
“Well…” she said calmly, “looks like my job ends here for tonight.”
She gave Ryo a steady look. “I wish you luck continuing your investigation in the other realms, surface man.”
And then Bastet left.
Ryo, Cleopatra, White Rabbit, and Cheshire walked up the stairs and entered the temple. As they stepped inside, Ryo noticed something missing—Anubis was nowhere to be seen. Before they had left for the Karnak Temple, Anubis had been around, and Ryo had assumed the god lived here.
Cleopatra explained that was a misunderstanding. Anubis did not live in this temple; his residence was a separate one nearby—a temple of his own.
Cleopatra then invited Ryo to her room.
Ryo felt awkward immediately. He wondered why she would invite him there and asked if she had some ulterior motive. Cleopatra flinched, sweat forming on her face as she quickly shook her head. She told him she only wanted to treat his bruise—nothing more.
Inside her thoughts, however, Cleopatra did have other plans. Plans involving the bed. Ones she absolutely could not say out loud. Reluctantly, she pushed those thoughts aside.
She led Ryo to her room. The moment he stepped inside, he recognized the style immediately.
Cleopatra’s room glowed with blue-and-gold painted stone walls and star-bright ceilings. Cool marble floors and carved wooden furniture filled the space, while linen-draped windows let in soft moonlight.
It looked just like the illustrations he had seen in history books.
Cleopatra lit a lantern and placed it on a table. She prepared herbs using a mortar and pestle, crushing them carefully, then grabbed clean linen. She told Ryo to sit on her bed, and he did.
She sat beside him and said, “Give me your right arm.”
Ryo complied and extended it. Cleopatra gently applied the herbs to the bruised area.
Ryo stayed quiet for a moment, watching her work, then smiled. “Zeus never adopted modern medicine and brought it back here to Wonderland?”
“No,” Cleopatra replied, shaking her head with a faint smile. “This method was presented to us by Guanhua.”
“Who’s that?” Ryo asked.
“Guanhua is a herb doctor from the Xianglura Realm,” Cleopatra answered. “She was once an apprentice of Guanyin when she was still living in the Upper Worlds.”
Guanyin?
Ryo knew that deity from Chinese mythology. And for her to have a student named Guanhua?
From the tales, he knew Guanyin had students and taught them her medicinal methods—but he had never heard their names before. And coincidentally, Guanhua’s name sounded strikingly similar to her mentor’s.
Cleopatra began wrapping his arm with linen.
Then she paused, hesitating. “Can I ask you something?”
Ryo nodded.
“Why did you slap Aiseira?” Cleopatra asked.
Ryo lightly teased, “Because I followed your example—when you slapped me after I accused you.”
Cleopatra immediately got flustered. “Stop it!”
“Sorry about that,” Ryo chuckled, then his tone softened. “If I hadn’t done that, the blighted deities would’ve seriously injured her—or worse. Since killing’s temporarily not allowed… it probably would’ve been torture.”
Cleopatra already knew why he had stopped Aiseira—but she hadn’t expected him to go as far as slapping her.
She resumed wrapping the linen. “I’m really sorry for slapping you. Neferka must have been very precious to you, even if he’s a spirit.”
Ryo shook his head. “Naaah—not precious. More like… I’m grateful to him. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have been able to defeat a maniacal immortal sorcerer who wanted to destroy the world over some worthless revenge. Sure, I felt sorry for Neferka after seeing his past—especially since you were part of it. And yeah, you did something to him that I found disturbing. But after listening to Anubis—and knowing you used that ritual to protect the afterlife, to keep Neferka’s curse from entering it—I understand why you had to do it that way. Even if it meant he suffered before his death.”
Then he went on, “And you don’t need to worry about Neferka. He’s still guiding lost souls in the Upper Worlds. He’s doing good deeds as a Crimson Grim Reaper.”
He teased her again. “Honestly, if you hadn’t done that ritual, maybe countless lost souls over the centuries wouldn’t have reached the afterlife with his help. So trapping him between life and death might actually have been a good thing.”
Cleopatra felt a wave of relief. “I’m glad it all ends well, then.”
Inside, her face burned. “Why… why do I fall for him even more when he’s this direct? No one has ever been this casually brave with me before!”
She finished wrapping his arm and gently let go. “There. All done. How do you feel now?”
Ryo rubbed his injured right arm with his left hand. “I love the cool, soothing feeling it gives—not gonna lie, it actually feels pretty comfortable.”
Then something clicked in Ryo’s mind.
He remembered how Bastet and Cheshire hadn’t gone against Aiseira earlier. When White Rabbit was about to lash out and throw his pocket watch at her, Bastet had stopped him without hesitation.
So, Ryo asked Cleopatra about it.
Cleopatra explained that the reason no one could oppose Aiseira was because she was Ra’s proxy—meaning she held authority equal to his. While Aiseira regarded Ra as her sovereign, Ra himself had never demanded such loyalty. However, after Ra saved her in the Upper Worlds during the extinction event of her era, Aiseira became deeply grateful to him and, of her own will, chose to serve under him.
Moreover, Anubis and Ra were close friends in this realm. Because of that, Anubis had instructed the people of Ekhropolis to treat Ra as a ruler. Even so, Ra never accepted the title—though he didn’t mind accepting respect when it was offered.
Ryo then asked how Cleopatra knew so much about Aiseira’s connection to Ra.
Cleopatra answered that Aiseira was a close friend of hers. They often exchanged information—news and details from various realms and the Central Hub. To Ryo, that sounded like the role of an envoy, so he asked to confirm it.
Cleopatra nodded. Yes—both of them had once been envoys. That was before Cleopatra resumed her duties as a priestess, and before Aiseira became Ra’s proxy.
She then explained further why White Rabbit had been stopped earlier. Envoys—former or current—are protected. They deal not only with other realms, but also with the Central Hub, often interacting directly with the Queen of Hearts’ staff. And as everyone knows, the Queen of Hearts is ruthless.
Anyone who has dealt with her administration—and been courageous enough to do so—is widely respected and cannot be harmed.
Besides being Ra’s proxy, that was another reason Aiseira was protected when White Rabbit tried to attack her.
Ryo processed everything in silence, thought. “Never thought envoys were respected this much.”
The time in Wonderland was now 11 PM
Ryo stretched and yawned. “It’s late. Guess I should head back to the waystation with Sir Hops-a-Lot and that spin-off Cheshire Cat.”
Cleopatra stood up abruptly. “Eh?! You should stay here instead!”
Ryo scratched the back of his head and explained, “I mean… tomorrow I have to go to the Mydrovith Realm to resume my investigation. I need to inspect the murder site there. Though I do plan on stopping by Alice’s prison first—to question Ra, since he’s locked up there.”
Cleopatra frowned, clearly worried. “But the waystation is uncomfortable to sleep in! It’s cold at night, and it’s not soft at all—you’re not even sleeping on a proper bed!”
“But my client and I left our bikes there,” Ryo replied. “No way we’re just going to leave them. Sure, there are guards watching over the rooms, and the bikes are probably safe—but who knows what could happen? We need those bikes to travel all over Wonderland. This kingdom is huge, you know.”
Then, without warning, Ryo laid down on her bed, his back sinking into the mattress. “Anyway… I’ll be leavi—”
He stopped mid-sentence.
Suddenly, exhaustion washed over him. His eyelids felt heavy. The long walks, the cycling, the investigation—it had all taken a toll. After a full day of constant movement and adventuring, fatigue finally caught up with him.
Ryo’s eyes slowly shut. “Zzzzzzzzz…”
Without realizing it, he fell asleep.
Cleopatra blinked in disbelief. “He… just fell asleep… just like that… in my room.” She giggled softly under her breath. “He’s adorable.”
Carefully, she removed his boots. She took off his trench coat, folded it neatly, and placed it on her table. Gently, she pulled him further onto the bed so his legs rested comfortably. She lifted his head, slid a pillow underneath, and pulled a blanket over him.
Then she froze.
For a brief moment, a dangerous thought crossed her mind. “This might be my chance…”
He looked defenseless, and her mind raced with possibilities. Her affection for him had grown, and she couldn’t help but blush at the naughty thoughts of what she could do to him now.
But Ryo was exhausted, snoring softly, lost in deep sleep.
She decided to give up on her naughty plan for now.
Walking toward the door, she turned back one last time and whispered, “Good night.”
She went to a completely different room to sleep, not wanting to disturb the tired detective.
Ryo remained fast asleep, unaware of the world around him.
Until the next day arrived.
The time in Wonderland was now 7 AM
Ryo slowly opened his eyes and yawned.
The first thing he saw was the ceiling—and it immediately felt wrong.
It didn’t look like the waystation at all, but more like somewhere in a luxurious temple.
His eyes widened. “Oh crap!”
He shot upright in bed.
Ryo stared down at himself.
His trench coat was gone, neatly folded on a table nearby, with his backpack placed beside it. Even his boots were off, set carefully next to the bed.
He rubbed his temples and exhaled. “I must’ve been too tired and accidentally passed out last night without realizing it…”
A blanket covered him.
Then he noticed something beside him.
A bulge.
No—a figure.
“It must be Sir Hops-a-Lot and that cat…” he muttered.
Slowly, he pulled the blanket aside.
And froze.
His eye twitched.
It wasn’t the animals.
Lying beside him was Cleopatra, dressed in a soft linen kalasiris, her hair spilling across the pillow.
Ryo’s eyes widened into saucers.
He whispered frantically, “Don’t tell me I did something to her before falling asleep—no, wait! We were just talking, I was about to leave, I laid down for a second, exhaustion hit me, and I fell asleep… right?!”
He said it out loud—but doubt gnawed at him anyway.
“What if I did something unsafe with her without knowing?!” He thought.
Cleopatra woke up.
She slowly opened her eyes, rubbed them gently, and smiled faintly. “Good morning, honey.”
Then—without missing a beat—she added mischievously, “Last night… you were incredible. You weakened me so much I almost passed out~.”
Ryo clutched his head with both hands, panicking. “AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!”
Cleopatra sat up, wrapping her arms around him and resting her cheek on his shoulder.
“You don’t need to scream like that, sweetheart” she whispered sultrily, still lying. “If you want to continue where we left off last night, I’m ready whenever you are. One? Two? Three kids? I’m open to more~.”
Ryo leaned back, letting her go, flailing his arms. “WAIT—WAIT—WAIT!”
He pointed at her, “I KNOW THIS SCRIPT!”
“This is that classic ‘wake-up panic romance trap’—where the girl gaslights the guy into thinking he committed an off-screen crime and now has to take responsibility for something that absolutely did not happen!”
Silence.
Cleopatra looked genuinely disappointed.
She whispered under her breath, “I really wish you weren’t this self-aware… I could’ve taken full advantage of you.”
“What was that?” Ryo asked. He hadn’t heard her clearly.
Cleopatra gently shook her head. “It’s nothing.”
She sighed, then finally admitted she was joking.
Ryo felt his soul return to his body.
However—she did explain that after leaving the room last night, she originally planned to sleep elsewhere. But halfway through, she decided it would be a waste not to sleep beside her “husband” and came back.
That explanation… did not help Ryo’s anxiety.
Cleopatra stood and invited him to the sacred garden behind the temple, where her servants had already prepared breakfast.
They left the bedroom and walked through the halls until they reached the garden.
White Rabbit and Cheshire were already seated on a woven reed mat, food and drinks laid out neatly by the servants. The two animals happily called them over.
Ryo and Cleopatra joined them, sitting cross-legged as they began eating.
Ryo noticed Cheshire no longer looked down. Remembering how upset he had been in the underground chamber after facing Osiris, Ryo asked about it.
Cheshire explained that he had felt like a failure—but after talking things out with White Rabbit and receiving encouragement, he regained his confidence.
White Rabbit puffed up proudly.
To Ryo, that was… unexpected coming from the rabbit.
Ryo asked about Aiseira.
Cleopatra said she was still asleep.
Ryo admitted he hoped she wouldn’t lash out once she woke up. Cleopatra laughed softly and assured him she would smooth things over later.
Ryo suddenly remembered their bicycles were still at the waystation and panicked.
White Rabbit calmly reassured him. After noticing Ryo fall asleep the previous night, White Rabbit had returned to the waystation and asked the guards there to transport the bikes to this temple.
They were now parked safely at the front entrance, guarded by the jackal-masked guards.
Ryo was relieved.
White Rabbit asked when they planned to leave Ekhropolis for Mydrovith.
Ryo said they would depart in an hour, but would stop by Alice’s prison in the Central Hub first to question Ra before heading to the next realm.
Cleopatra and Cheshire wished them good luck.
After breakfast, Ryo and White Rabbit washed up in the bathing room, soaking in a massive alabaster tub while servants poured warm water over them—an experience that was awkward, embarrassing, and impossible to get used to.
Once finished, they returned to their rooms, put on their clothes, got ready, and prepared to depart.
The time in Wonderland was now 8 AM
White Rabbit and Ryo stepped out of the temple, their bikes—still guarded—were handed back to them by the jackal-masked guards. Ryo thanked them, and the two mounted their bikes.
Before they could leave, Cleopatra and Cheshire also emerged from the temple. Cheshire asked if he could ride on Ryo’s shoulder and accompany him to the Ekhropolis entrance, explaining that he just needed a quick ride before resuming his guard duty there. Ryo shrugged and agreed. Cheshire leapt onto his shoulder with ease.
Ryo and White Rabbit began pedaling away as Cleopatra waved them off.
As they passed through the ancient city, Ryo finally noticed something he hadn’t seen yesterday, when he and White Rabbit had arrived at this realm during sunset—CCTV cameras installed on nearly every building. The evening shadows had hidden them before, but now, in the clear morning light, they were plainly visible.
“So this is how Alice was being monitored 24/7,” he thought.
They rode until they reached the entrance of the realm and came to a stop. Cheshire hopped down from Ryo’s shoulder. The black-furred cat who had been covering his post greeted him, and the two exchanged quick nods before waving goodbye to Ryo and White Rabbit.
The pair crossed the limestone bridge and entered the Central Hub of Wonderland once more.
Ryo suggested taking a shortcut to the prison building and asked White Rabbit if he knew one. Unfortunately, White Rabbit only knew the long route—as usual, living up to his reputation for always being late without trying.
Along the way, they encountered envoys from the Xianglura and Mydrovith realms. Ryo and White Rabbit slowed to a stop and asked for directions to a shortcut to the prison. The envoys pointed out a faster route, and after thanking them, the two resumed pedaling.
They soon passed through a vast field of giant sunflowers with smiling faces. The flowers swayed in unison, greeting them in musical harmony.
“Good moooorning, travelers of wheels and haste~”
“May your path bloom bright and your pedals spin true~”
“Oh riders of dawn, welcome the day~”
“Sing, sing, sing—good morning to you~”
“La-la-la~ the sun greets you too~”
Ryo waved back with one hand. “Good morning to you all too! Tell that rat from the Rodent’s Cheddar Kingdom to give you better lyrics.”
The sunflowers paused mid-sway and exchanged confused glances among themselves.
“Rodent’s… Cheddar Kingdom?”
“Is that a new realm?”
“Is there really one made of cheese in Wonderland?”
“Do rats compose music now?”
“He’s probably talking about that mouse who’s participating in the Caucus Race in the Mydrovith Realm today—but I thought he was bad at singing.”
Not long after, Ryo and White Rabbit finally reached Alice’s prison building.
However, they immediately noticed something was wrong.
A large crowd of people from the legal sector surrounded the building, shouting and protesting, demanding Ra’s release.
“FREE RA!”
“THE TRIAL IS A FARCE!”
“THE QUEEN RIGS EVERYTHING!”
“RELEASE THE WHITE KNIGHT!”
“WE DEMAND A FAIR COURT!”
“JUSTICE FOR RA!”
“DOWN WITH THE CROWN PROSECUTORS!”
Dureifa and ten Valkyries stood at the front of the building, panic etched on their faces as they struggled desperately to hold them back.
“PLEASE EVERYONE! CALM DOWN!” They yelled.
Ryo frowned, scanning the crowd. “What’s going on?”
“I’m quite unsure,” White Rabbit said. “But these people from the Legal Sector have never acted like this before in front of Alice’s prison.”
Ryo and White Rabbit noticed familiar faces at the very back of the crowd.
Höðr.
His wife, Yrsa.
And their daughter, Runa.
Ryo stepped off his bicycle and approached them, while White Rabbit stayed mounted—well aware that neither the family nor the other people of the Legal Sector held a good image of him.
“Pleasure to meet you all again,” Ryo said calmly. “May I ask what’s going on here?”
Höðr stiffened and turned sharply.
“That voice… Surface man!” he said, restless and tense.
Ryo immediately raised both hands. “Woah! Easy there.”
Yrsa placed a hand on her husband’s shoulder. “Please, sweetheart. Calm down.”
Suddenly—
“ALIIIIICEEE!” Runa cried out, her voice cracking.
Höðr took a breath and steadied himself before explaining.
“We heard Ra was captured,” he said. “Which means he can no longer distribute his amulets to those wishing to leave Wonderland safely—to an era untouched by extinction.”
Ryo already knew this.
“Then why is the entire legal sector panicking?” He asked. “I thought only your family needed the amulet.”
Yrsa nodded. “That’s true. It was my proposal, and my family agreed. But after you and White Rabbit left yesterday, we discovered others from the legal sector had been eavesdropping behind our tent and asked us about it.”
Höðr continued. “They wanted in as well. They hoped to meet Ra today in Ekhropolis and obtain the amulets.”
His jaw tightened. “However…”
Yrsa finished his sentence. “Before we could head to Ekhropolis, we learned Ra had already been captured—and imprisoned here with Alice.”
Her voice lowered. “He’s scheduled to be executed alongside her after the final trial… if you lose, Surface man.”
“ALIIIIIIIICCEE—HUAAAAA!” Runa continued crying, clutching at her mother’s clothing.
It was clear to Ryo—she wasn’t crying over the amulet.
She was crying for Alice.
“Are you alright, kid?” Ryo asked.
Runa sniffled hard.
“Alice…” she whimpered. “She’s going to be executed… in four days…”
Ryo placed a hand gently on her shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. Leave your friend to me.”
Yrsa looked at him carefully. “Why are you here, Surface man?”
“I’m here to question Ra,” Ryo replied. “I already know he was captured. I’m also his attorney now—alongside Alice.”
The family fell silent.
That answer clearly stunned them.
“I’ll be going in now,” Ryo said.
Ryo knew the only way to get into the prison building was with an authorized official—and that official was his client, White Rabbit. He called out, and White Rabbit reluctantly got off his bike.
Ryo stepped toward him.
White Rabbit said he wasn’t sure he could get through the crowd—he knew the Legal Sector despised him. Without warning, Ryo scooped him up and place him on his shoulder. White Rabbit yelped quietly, clutching Ryo’s head as Ryo pushed forward through the crowd.
They stopped when they reached Dureifa, stationed at the prison entrance.
Ryo requested entry.
Dureifa looked up, exhausted, then glanced at White Rabbit perched awkwardly on Ryo’s shoulder.
“Permission… granted…” she said wearily.
Another Card Soldier gestured toward the door. “Come. I shall open it for you.”
As the soldier moved toward the entrance, Ryo followed—then froze.
He glanced to the side of the prison door.
The Sun Wukong statue was gone.
Ryo had planned to place the Amulet of Warding around the Monkey King’s neck to undo the petrification.
He asked where the statue had gone.
The card soldier explained that, believing Sun Wukong had been turned to stone by Medusa, they contacted an imperial courier from the Xianglura Realm last night and had the statue retrieved and returned there.
Ryo groaned inwardly. “Great… just my luck… now I have to go there too.”
He sighed internally. “Well… I’m heading there anyway after Mydrovith.”
The prison door opened.
Ryo and White Rabbit entered the building.
Inside, behind the cell bars, sat Alice and Ra together.
“My attorney! White Rabbit!” Alice called out.
Ra remained silent, staring directly at Ryo.
White Rabbit hopped down from Ryo’s shoulder and rushed to the bars, gripping them.
“Alice, we’re here to question Ra.”
Alice blinked, confused. “Question… White Knight?”
Ra continued staring.
Then he finally spoke. “It’s usele—”
“Yeah. Useless,” Ryo cut in flatly. “You’re about to tell me to go home, right, Mr. Spin-off White Knight? I’m sure you’ll repeat that about a thousand times.”
Ra huffed and looked away. “I never asked you to represent me as my attorney.”
Ryo crossed his arms. “My priority here is to save Alice. Unfortunately, you got wrapped up into it too. So you either cooperate, or you keep being a pain in the neck and telling me to go home—and don’t give me that bullshi*t about wanting to die a martyr.”
He moved closer, then dropped down cross legged in front of the cell.
“Because here’s the thing,” he continued, his tone cold. “The moment I lose, I know that damn Queen won’t just execute you two. It’ll be everyone’s head in Wonderland.”
A smirk tugged at his lips, dark and humorless. “Sounds like the kind of extinction she loves—done playfully, doesn’t it? One by one. Slow. And she’s going to savor every single moment.”
Ra exhaled heavily. “You just said exactly what I told Alice last night.”
He straightened. “Very well.”
Ra met Ryo’s eyes. “I shall tell you everything I know.”
Ryo took out his notebook and pen, ready for questioning.
He asked Ra how he got captured. Ra explained that he suspected someone within Ekhropolis was tailing him and reporting to the blighted deities.
Ryo then asked why he had been at the underground chamber beneath the Sphinx, and why it was a place no one in the Ekhropolis Realm knew about. Ra replied that the chamber had been secretly granted to him by Anubis. It was originally a place for Anubis to escape from tiring governmental matters—sometimes even gods need rest.
However, Ra had also told Anubis that he wanted a hidden location to craft his amulets in secret, so he could give them away to secretly free people from Wonderland and allow them to enter a non-extinction era, avoiding the Queen’s playtime executions. Anubis granted him the underground chamber, even though Ekhropolis had existed for only two months. Ryo then asked why Zeuras and Sun Wukong also had an amulet. Ra explained that only a few strong pantheons possess one, and those who do are very skilled at keeping them hidden.
Ryo asked if he had ever freed anyone from Wonderland using his amulets. Ra said no—unfortunately, all rabbit holes were heavily guarded by card soldiers. Only those with explicit permission from the Queen of Hearts could enter the rabbit holes and exit into the Upper Worlds, solely to gather knowledge from the present-day timeline to benefit Wonderland.
Ryo then asked whether the Queen of Hearts knew about his amulets before he crafted them in secret. Ra said yes—he had presented a prototype to her, originally as part of a plan to bring knowledge from the Upper Worlds back to Wonderland. He had silently hoped the Queen would use that knowledge to halt her playtime executions. Zeus even volunteered to help, traveling to the Upper Worlds himself to gather the information using the amulet.
Despite all the benefits returned, which had elevated Wonderland, the Queen of Hearts was still not satisfied unless she saw blood. This disappointed Ra and Zeus after all their hard work. Ryo remembered how asking about the Queen often made people refuse to answer out of fear, as he had seen with Aiseira.
But he needed a direct answer, so he asked Ra to be blunt.
Ra answered without hesitation. About a month and a half ago, the Queen had caused colossal destruction in Wonderland after Alice temporarily stopped the executions. Her bloodlust was too strong to contain, and she erupted, destroying half of the Central Hub. At that time, Ra, White Rabbit, and Alice were traveling together within the Central Hub. Ra was protecting Alice from the blighted deities, who were ordered to find her. The Queen’s rampage was uncontrollable—she became like a monster, feared even by the pantheons of Wonderland.
Ryo internally groaned. “Perfect… just what I needed. The Queen of Hearts isn’t just a bloodthirsty killer—she’s a monster. Totally nothing like the storybook description.”
Ryo then asked why he hadn’t seen any signs of the destruction in the Central Hub. Ra explained that Zeus had repaired everything using his divine magic within a single day. During the rampage, even the Blighted Deities—strong as they were—had failed to stop the Queen, allowing her to finish her destruction for the sake of their own safety.
Ryo asked what made the Queen so powerful. Ra said he wasn’t sure, but there were rumors that she had obtained dark, malevolent power from someone.
The words “dark” and “malevolent” immediately reminded Ryo of something he wished he could forget.
Ryo then asked about the dinosaurs that had appeared in Son Doong and whether Ra was responsible for them. Ra denied it, but then pointed to Alice’s neck. He explained that he had once given Alice an amulet when she saved people from Egypt in the Upper World during an extinction event of that time, and she had led them to the rabbit hole into Wonderland. However, the amulet was now gone.
That was all the information Ryo needed: he figured that someone connected to the Queen of Hearts—or perhaps the Queen herself—had taken the amulet from Alice and was responsible for causing the dinosaurs to appear in Son Doong. He also assumed that there must be a rabbit hole somewhere in the prehistoric era.
Lastly, Ryo asked why Aiseira acted as Ra’s proxy. Ra explained that he hadn’t wanted to assign a proxy, but since Aiseira wanted him to build his amulets in secret, he decided to let her act on his behalf. She effectively took over his duties while he was away. Ra also speculated that, since he was often absent and rarely appeared before the Queen, someone had likely begun tailing him—probably under the Queen’s orders, though he wasn’t sure whether it was her direct command or if the person simply wanted to avoid her playtime executions and impress her by taking on this task, assigned or not.
With that, the questioning ended.
“Thanks for the answers,” Ryo said, pocketing his pen and notebook.
Ryo stood up, ready to leave with White Rabbit—but before he could take a step—
“My attorney!” Alice called out innocently.
Ryo turned back to her, offering an easy smile. “Yeah, kid?”
Alice lowered her gaze for a moment.
Then she looked up again, her expression firm, unwavering. “I trust you!”
Ryo paused—then smiled.
He raised his thumb confidently. “Thanks for trusting me. This job might be tough, but I’m not the type to walk away.”
Alice nodded, holding onto that reassurance.
With that, Ryo and White Rabbit exited the prison building.
Outside, the people from the Legal Sector were still in uproar—chants, protests, and voices demanding Ra’s release echoed through the area, secretly hoping to obtain an amulet from him.
Once more, Ryo scooped up White Rabbit, pushed through the dense crowd, and made it back to their bicycles before getting on.
Ryo squinted at his client. “You know a shortcut to the Mydrovith realm… right?”
White Rabbit let out an awkward chuckle, rubbing the back of his head. “It would be… quite the distance.”
Of course.
The rabbit only knew the long way.
Before they could leave, familiar figures approached—Höðr, Yrsa, and Runa.
Runa tugged at Ryo’s sleeve, eyes anxious. “How is Alice?”
Ryo softened. “Your friend’s holding up. A bit worried—but she’s strong.”
Runa nodded, though the concern didn’t fully leave her face.
Then Ryo’s eyes lit up with realization. These three—former Mydrovith natives.
“Say,” he asked, “you wouldn’t happen to know a shortcut to Mydrovith, would you?”
Höðr and Yrsa nodded.
They gave him clear directions.
Ryo grinned. “That helps a lot. Thanks.”
He reached into his pocket and handed Runa a piece of chocolate bar.
She pouted—clearly unhappy at being treated like a child again—but still accepted it.
With no more time to waste, Ryo and White Rabbit began pedaling again, following the hidden route toward the next realm.
The air shifted.
The path ahead grew colder.
Ryo looked forward, eyes sharp.
Ahead awaited a land of frost.
The Norse Lands.
And whatever truths lay there… regarding the murdered person of that realm… and the disappearance of Thor… would not stay buried—not under Ryo’s watch.
Meanwhile…
At the Queen of Heart’s palace…
Petyr Pann, in his room, was gathering devices and placing them into his bag for livestreaming the Caucus Race in Mydrovith.
“Drones… mic… camera… controller… yup, all set!” he muttered.
Then suddenly, someone kicked his door open—and it broke.
“PIRATE BOOOOOOYY!!!” Nezha shouted cheerfully.
Petyr jumped, startled. “WOAH!” He then pointed at him, clearly annoyed. “What’s the big deal?! Can’t you knock instead of breaking the damn door?!”
“Hahaha… sorry about that,” Nezha chuckled, stepping inside. “And hey, guess what! I met your anime rival back in Ekhropolis yesterday, and you know what he did? Total movie move! Like a protagonist diving in to save a girl right before my Ruyi Jingu Bang would’ve hit her—exactly when I swung it!”
Petyr narrowed his eyes, unimpressed. “Heyyyyy, please don’t tell me you wrecked him already. I’m supposed to finish him later.”
Nezha’s eyes flicked to the bag. “Oh? You’re packing for the grand event today?”
“Yeah,” Petyr said. “Gotta livestream everything… while causing a ‘little’… destruction during the Caucus Race. But I need someone to control the drones.”
Nezha snapped his fingers. “I got an idea! What if the Valkyries handle the controls? They used to live in Mydrovith, right? They’d know that place way better with the drones.”
Then Nezha paused. “Hold on a sec—won’t the Caucus race already be broadcast locally? Their own cameras, the CCTVs, will record everything. There’s gonna be a big screen for the public to watch from, and all the CCTVs in Mydrovith are set up to film the race. So… what are all these devices you’re bringing for?”
Petyr shrugged. “That clown faced queen wants secret, private footage. Just for herself. She wants to watch the participants get injured—hopes some even die—from ‘accidents’ secretly caused by me, Loki, and Carabosse.”
“Maaaaaan, I’m jealous of you!” Nezha said, smacking Petyr’s back.
Suddenly, a voice shouted outside the door. “LITTLE BOY!”
Petyr and Nezha flinched, falling to the floor.
The person who stepped inside was Carabosse, and she didn’t look like she was in a good mood.
Petyr looked up at her with a sheepish grin before standing. “Oh! Your Grace… why did you, uhh… shout?”
Carabosse glared, whispering furiously. “It’s nothing, little boy… I’m in a completely great mood!”
Petyr and Nezha were internally baffled. “Are you sure about that?”
Carabosse was frustrated. She had searched all of Mydrovith and Ekhropolis for the tablet she needed to craft the new Celestial Compass, but still couldn’t find it.
“Are you ready now?” Carabosse asked, her tone sharp and demanding. “We should be off to Mydrovith.”
Petyr and Nezha saluted sharply.
“YES, YOUR GRACE!” they said in unison.
Petyr side-eyed Nezha, muttering. “But you’re not coming, bruh…”
Petyr puts on his bag.
Loki appeared at the door. “Are you two ready?”
Carabosse snapped her fan open, raising it to cover her mouth.
“Why, of course. Please do lead the way,” she said, then played dumb. “To… wherever this Mydrovith realm of yours is, Ms. Loki.”
Petyr stepped forward, grinning. “Ready when you are!”
They all headed to the palace courtyard, ready to take flight.
Petyr raised a hand. “Please hold on a sec, I need to refuel on Pixie grains.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a Canopic Jar of Nephthys. Opening it, he shook it over his other hand, then lifted it to pour the pixie grains over himself. Suddenly, his body sparkled with sinister purple light.
Carabosse stared at the Canopic Jar. “Where did you get that, little boy?”
“This thing?” Petyr pointed at the Canopic Jar. “I got it from Nephthys,” he giggled. “Guess what? I heard from her that she was trapped in here for centuries after she committed suicide and was turned to ash after being cremated—she was pissed about that! But centuries later, she busted out of this jar and regained her full form. Classic revival trope, WHEW! That Crimson Sorceress had one hell of a time in here. She gave this to me for my pixie grains to contain because she doesn’t want to see this jar ever again—bad vibes only.”
“Nephthys…” Carabosse muttered, then asked, “Where is she now? I haven’t seen her in a while.”
“Oh, she’s in Camelot now in the Upper Worlds, watching over the Frostreavers gang I stole from Kaj back in the kingdom of Glacindor, in the Fairytale World, almost two decades ago,” Petyr explained. “HAHAHAHAHAHA WOOOOOH!!! You should’ve seen him raging back then! That useless guy didn’t know I was the one who controlled them before he ditched them to hunt down his daughter Cinderella and then—”
“That’s enough!” Loki snapped, cutting him off. “We need to head to Mydrovith NOW!”
Loki cast divine flight magic. Frosted winds swirled around her, lifting her from her feet as she soared into the sky.
Black miasma began swirling from Carabosse’s feet, and she shot upward, taking to the air as well.
As for Petyr, purple sparkles surrounded him before he shot into the sky, spinning wildly as both purple sparkles and black miasma erupted from his feet.
“YEEEEEEEEHAAAAWWW!!!!”
And the three of them headed to the Mydrovith Realm, ready to wreak havoc during the Caucus Race.
Nezha remained behind, staring skyward, throwing his arms up. “SHEEEEEEEEEESSSHHHHH! I wanted to go too!!”
Back in Ekhropolis…
At the Temple of the Midnight Jackal…
Aiseira lay asleep in her room when a sudden thud struck the window ledge.
A figure wearing a Chinese curtained hat and a forest-green silk robe landed lightly outside, framed by the morning light.
Aiseira stirred. Still groggy, she rubbed her eyes and slowly pushed herself upright in bed, squinting toward the window.
“mmmm…” she mumbled, voice thick with sleep. “Who… are you…?”
The figure remained a dark silhouette, the sunrise casting her entirely in shadow.
She smirked.
“Ara ara~ finally awake, you sleeping goddess~?” she teased.
“That voice…” Aiseira whispered, then gasped.
She knew that voice.
Her eyes widened, and she sat up straight. “You’re… Lady Hatter!” she panted. “What are you doing here?!”
Then she looked around the room. “Where am I?”
She realized she was in Cleopatra’s temple, in one of the rooms.
Still smirking, Lady Hatter raised a finger to her lips.
“sssshhhhh,” she whispered smoothly. “Not too loud.”
She continued, voice lowering. “I have something the Queen of Hearts wants. And in exchange… you can free Ra.”
“What is it?! Whatever it takes—tell me! Give it to me!” Aiseira begged.
Lady Hatter’s eyes narrowed.
“I can’t give it to you yet,” she said calmly. “Not unless you do me a favor.”
“I SHALL DO ANYTHING!” Aiseira cried, desperation breaking through as she leaned forward.
“If it is in exchange for my life—I'll gladly—”
“Come with me.” Lady Hatter cut her off gently.
She removed her curtained hat, revealing her face, then tossed it toward Aiseira.
Aiseira caught it instinctively.
From within her robe, Lady Hatter pulled out a folded top hat. With a flick, it unfolded back into its proper shape. She placed it atop her head and extended her hand.
“It involves taking down Surface Man,” she said. “When he reaches the Xianglura Realm.”
A deadly glint flashed in Aiseira’s eyes. Shadows crept over her gaze as her voice dropped to a whisper.
“He let my Sovereign be taken by the blighted deities…”
Her tone sharpened, burning with fury. “Unforgivable!”
She placed the curtained hat upon her head and rose from the bed.
“Follow me, darling,” Lady Hatter murmured.
She turned, revealing a fox tail swaying behind her—then leapt out the window.
Aiseira sprinted after her and launched herself out the open window, wings flaring as she followed Lady Hatter into the morning sky.
Together, they would carry out a plan.
To take down the detective…
…once he and White rabbit reached the Xianglura Realm.
Cleopatra entered the room and looked around, puzzled. “Aiseira…?”
The time in Wonderland was now 9:45 PM
Back in the Serapeum of Saqqara…
Ryo groaned in pain. “Ughh…”
He crouched low, clutching his right arm.
Cleopatra noticed immediately.
Her expression hardened with worry as she rushed to him. “Are you alright?!”
Ryo forced a weak smile as he looked up at her.
“I’m fine…” he said lightly. “Just feeling… a little pain in my right arm.”
“Little?” Cleopatra thought. That didn’t sound convincing at all.
She crouched beside him, then slid his right sleeve up.
Dark bruises bloomed across his arm.
Her eyes flared.
She scolded him harshly, demanding he stop lying and tell her the truth. Seeing both anger and worry burning in her gaze, Ryo exhaled slowly and gave in.
He explained that when he deflected Nezha’s Ruyi Jingu Bang with his tonfa, the sheer force crushed against his arm, bruising it badly. Nezha’s strength was no joke—far beyond anything human.
Cleopatra immediately insisted they return to her temple to have it treated.
Ryo agreed.
Nearby, White Rabbit lowered his head.
He apologized, saying that the case he hired Ryo for had only led him into danger and injury.
Ryo smiled gently.
He told White Rabbit not to worry—this wasn’t the first time he’d faced danger. Back when he was still a police officer, before becoming a detective, he’d been injured and hospitalized far more times than he cared to count.
White Rabbit nodded. He knew Ryo was trying to reassure him—but it didn’t ease the guilt.
White Rabbit then turned toward Cheshire.
The cat stood off to the side, ears drooping, eyes lowered.
White Rabbit walked over and asked what was wrong.
Cheshire admitted he felt like a failure. When Osiris stood before him, he couldn’t move—fear rooted him in place. As the guard of the Ekhropolis Realm entrance, he should’ve stood firm… but instead, he felt small.
White Rabbit suggested they follow Cleopatra’s advice—return to her temple and take a breather.
Cheshire nodded, though the heaviness in his expression remained.
Bastet gently lifted the unconscious Aiseira onto her shoulder, careful not to move her too much, and the group made their way up the stairs, leaving the Serapeum behind.
Outside, people from the city still surrounded the Sphinx.
They asked what had happened to the prisoner, Ra, who had been dragged away in a carriage by the Blighted Deities and the card soldiers.
Cleopatra didn’t answer.
She ordered everyone to disperse and return to the city.
Though disappointed at receiving no answers, the crowd eventually complied and slowly made their way back.
Ryo glanced toward the distant city and frowned.
It was far—around three and a half kilometers.
Too far to walk.
They couldn’t rely on Aiseira’s divine hovering magic either. She was still unconscious—and even if she weren’t, Ryo assumed she’d lash out at them after being forced to watch her Sovereign taken away.
Bastet reassured everyone not to worry. She explained that she possessed divine magic suited for long-distance travel.
She raised one hand and aimed straight at the sand in front of them. Two spectral cats materialized—each the size of a lion. Their bodies glowed bright blue and translucent, like wandering souls given form, resembling lost souls.
Ryo had thought Bastet’s divine powers were strictly combat-oriented after she retired from being a goddess.
Bastet explained that these spectral cats were souls who had died and accepted her as their master.
They served as her attack unit—but she also used them for transportation.
She instructed Ryo and Cleopatra to ride one cat together, while she took the other with Aiseira, White Rabbit, and Cheshire. She assured them not to worry—although the cats were spectral, she had adjusted their bodies to feel solid, allowing people to sit on them instead of passing through.
Cleopatra flushed instantly at the thought of riding with Ryo.
Ryo suggested she take the front seat. His right arm was injured, his grip weakened by the bruise, so he would hold onto her shoulder with his left hand while sitting behind her.
Cleopatra looked disappointed.
She’d clearly hoped for something closer—but reluctantly agreed.
They mounted the spectral cats.
As they took off at a powerful gallop, the wind rushed past them.
Ryo struggled slightly to steady himself at the sudden speed and accidentally ended up embracing Cleopatra from behind.
Her face turned red—then absolutely radiant with satisfaction.
Ryo immediately apologized.
Cleopatra replied that it was fine… and that he should hold her forever.
Ryo could only let out a tired breath.
They sped past the same citizens from earlier, who were still walking back toward the city—and then past the carriage carrying Ra inside. Ryo’s group glanced at it.
Nezha sat atop the carriage, while Osiris sat at the front beside a Valkyrie. Both smirked and waved.
No one in Ryo’s group said a word. Ryo gave a single nod, expressionless.
Within ten minutes, Ryo’s group reached the ancient city.
Soon after, they arrived at the Temple of the Midnight Jackal.
Jackal-masked guards greeted them—but froze when they saw Aiseira unconscious. They hurried forward, offering to take her inside. Carefully, they lifted her from Bastet’s shoulder. Since Ryo’s bag pack was still strapped to Aiseira’s back, Bastet removed it and returned it to him. The guards then carried Aiseira into the temple, placing her gently on a bed in a prepared room.
At the entrance, the spectral cats dissolved into glowing particles and vanished, their task complete.
Bastet turned to Ryo and Cleopatra.
“Well…” she said calmly, “looks like my job ends here for tonight.”
She gave Ryo a steady look. “I wish you luck continuing your investigation in the other realms, surface man.”
And then Bastet left.
Ryo, Cleopatra, White Rabbit, and Cheshire walked up the stairs and entered the temple. As they stepped inside, Ryo noticed something missing—Anubis was nowhere to be seen. Before they had left for the Karnak Temple, Anubis had been around, and Ryo had assumed the god lived here.
Cleopatra explained that was a misunderstanding. Anubis did not live in this temple; his residence was a separate one nearby—a temple of his own.
Cleopatra then invited Ryo to her room.
Ryo felt awkward immediately. He wondered why she would invite him there and asked if she had some ulterior motive. Cleopatra flinched, sweat forming on her face as she quickly shook her head. She told him she only wanted to treat his bruise—nothing more.
Inside her thoughts, however, Cleopatra did have other plans. Plans involving the bed. Ones she absolutely could not say out loud. Reluctantly, she pushed those thoughts aside.
She led Ryo to her room. The moment he stepped inside, he recognized the style immediately.
Cleopatra’s room glowed with blue-and-gold painted stone walls and star-bright ceilings. Cool marble floors and carved wooden furniture filled the space, while linen-draped windows let in soft moonlight.
It looked just like the illustrations he had seen in history books.
Cleopatra lit a lantern and placed it on a table. She prepared herbs using a mortar and pestle, crushing them carefully, then grabbed clean linen. She told Ryo to sit on her bed, and he did.
She sat beside him and said, “Give me your right arm.”
Ryo complied and extended it. Cleopatra gently applied the herbs to the bruised area.
Ryo stayed quiet for a moment, watching her work, then smiled. “Zeus never adopted modern medicine and brought it back here to Wonderland?”
“No,” Cleopatra replied, shaking her head with a faint smile. “This method was presented to us by Guanhua.”
“Who’s that?” Ryo asked.
“Guanhua is a herb doctor from the Xianglura Realm,” Cleopatra answered. “She was once an apprentice of Guanyin when she was still living in the Upper Worlds.”
Guanyin?
Ryo knew that deity from Chinese mythology. And for her to have a student named Guanhua?
From the tales, he knew Guanyin had students and taught them her medicinal methods—but he had never heard their names before. And coincidentally, Guanhua’s name sounded strikingly similar to her mentor’s.
Cleopatra began wrapping his arm with linen.
Then she paused, hesitating. “Can I ask you something?”
Ryo nodded.
“Why did you slap Aiseira?” Cleopatra asked.
Ryo lightly teased, “Because I followed your example—when you slapped me after I accused you.”
Cleopatra immediately got flustered. “Stop it!”
“Sorry about that,” Ryo chuckled, then his tone softened. “If I hadn’t done that, the blighted deities would’ve seriously injured her—or worse. Since killing’s temporarily not allowed… it probably would’ve been torture.”
Cleopatra already knew why he had stopped Aiseira—but she hadn’t expected him to go as far as slapping her.
She resumed wrapping the linen. “I’m really sorry for slapping you. Neferka must have been very precious to you, even if he’s a spirit.”
Ryo shook his head. “Naaah—not precious. More like… I’m grateful to him. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have been able to defeat a maniacal immortal sorcerer who wanted to destroy the world over some worthless revenge. Sure, I felt sorry for Neferka after seeing his past—especially since you were part of it. And yeah, you did something to him that I found disturbing. But after listening to Anubis—and knowing you used that ritual to protect the afterlife, to keep Neferka’s curse from entering it—I understand why you had to do it that way. Even if it meant he suffered before his death.”
Then he went on, “And you don’t need to worry about Neferka. He’s still guiding lost souls in the Upper Worlds. He’s doing good deeds as a Crimson Grim Reaper.”
He teased her again. “Honestly, if you hadn’t done that ritual, maybe countless lost souls over the centuries wouldn’t have reached the afterlife with his help. So trapping him between life and death might actually have been a good thing.”
Cleopatra felt a wave of relief. “I’m glad it all ends well, then.”
Inside, her face burned. “Why… why do I fall for him even more when he’s this direct? No one has ever been this casually brave with me before!”
She finished wrapping his arm and gently let go. “There. All done. How do you feel now?”
Ryo rubbed his injured right arm with his left hand. “I love the cool, soothing feeling it gives—not gonna lie, it actually feels pretty comfortable.”
Then something clicked in Ryo’s mind.
He remembered how Bastet and Cheshire hadn’t gone against Aiseira earlier. When White Rabbit was about to lash out and throw his pocket watch at her, Bastet had stopped him without hesitation.
So, Ryo asked Cleopatra about it.
Cleopatra explained that the reason no one could oppose Aiseira was because she was Ra’s proxy—meaning she held authority equal to his. While Aiseira regarded Ra as her sovereign, Ra himself had never demanded such loyalty. However, after Ra saved her in the Upper Worlds during the extinction event of her era, Aiseira became deeply grateful to him and, of her own will, chose to serve under him.
Moreover, Anubis and Ra were close friends in this realm. Because of that, Anubis had instructed the people of Ekhropolis to treat Ra as a ruler. Even so, Ra never accepted the title—though he didn’t mind accepting respect when it was offered.
Ryo then asked how Cleopatra knew so much about Aiseira’s connection to Ra.
Cleopatra answered that Aiseira was a close friend of hers. They often exchanged information—news and details from various realms and the Central Hub. To Ryo, that sounded like the role of an envoy, so he asked to confirm it.
Cleopatra nodded. Yes—both of them had once been envoys. That was before Cleopatra resumed her duties as a priestess, and before Aiseira became Ra’s proxy.
She then explained further why White Rabbit had been stopped earlier. Envoys—former or current—are protected. They deal not only with other realms, but also with the Central Hub, often interacting directly with the Queen of Hearts’ staff. And as everyone knows, the Queen of Hearts is ruthless.
Anyone who has dealt with her administration—and been courageous enough to do so—is widely respected and cannot be harmed.
Besides being Ra’s proxy, that was another reason Aiseira was protected when White Rabbit tried to attack her.
Ryo processed everything in silence, thought. “Never thought envoys were respected this much.”
The time in Wonderland was now 11 PM
Ryo stretched and yawned. “It’s late. Guess I should head back to the waystation with Sir Hops-a-Lot and that spin-off Cheshire Cat.”
Cleopatra stood up abruptly. “Eh?! You should stay here instead!”
Ryo scratched the back of his head and explained, “I mean… tomorrow I have to go to the Mydrovith Realm to resume my investigation. I need to inspect the murder site there. Though I do plan on stopping by Alice’s prison first—to question Ra, since he’s locked up there.”
Cleopatra frowned, clearly worried. “But the waystation is uncomfortable to sleep in! It’s cold at night, and it’s not soft at all—you’re not even sleeping on a proper bed!”
“But my client and I left our bikes there,” Ryo replied. “No way we’re just going to leave them. Sure, there are guards watching over the rooms, and the bikes are probably safe—but who knows what could happen? We need those bikes to travel all over Wonderland. This kingdom is huge, you know.”
Then, without warning, Ryo laid down on her bed, his back sinking into the mattress. “Anyway… I’ll be leavi—”
He stopped mid-sentence.
Suddenly, exhaustion washed over him. His eyelids felt heavy. The long walks, the cycling, the investigation—it had all taken a toll. After a full day of constant movement and adventuring, fatigue finally caught up with him.
Ryo’s eyes slowly shut. “Zzzzzzzzz…”
Without realizing it, he fell asleep.
Cleopatra blinked in disbelief. “He… just fell asleep… just like that… in my room.” She giggled softly under her breath. “He’s adorable.”
Carefully, she removed his boots. She took off his trench coat, folded it neatly, and placed it on her table. Gently, she pulled him further onto the bed so his legs rested comfortably. She lifted his head, slid a pillow underneath, and pulled a blanket over him.
Then she froze.
For a brief moment, a dangerous thought crossed her mind. “This might be my chance…”
He looked defenseless, and her mind raced with possibilities. Her affection for him had grown, and she couldn’t help but blush at the naughty thoughts of what she could do to him now.
But Ryo was exhausted, snoring softly, lost in deep sleep.
She decided to give up on her naughty plan for now.
Walking toward the door, she turned back one last time and whispered, “Good night.”
She went to a completely different room to sleep, not wanting to disturb the tired detective.
Ryo remained fast asleep, unaware of the world around him.
Until the next day arrived.
The time in Wonderland was now 7 AM
Ryo slowly opened his eyes and yawned.
The first thing he saw was the ceiling—and it immediately felt wrong.
It didn’t look like the waystation at all, but more like somewhere in a luxurious temple.
His eyes widened. “Oh crap!”
He shot upright in bed.
Ryo stared down at himself.
His trench coat was gone, neatly folded on a table nearby, with his backpack placed beside it. Even his boots were off, set carefully next to the bed.
He rubbed his temples and exhaled. “I must’ve been too tired and accidentally passed out last night without realizing it…”
A blanket covered him.
Then he noticed something beside him.
A bulge.
No—a figure.
“It must be Sir Hops-a-Lot and that cat…” he muttered.
Slowly, he pulled the blanket aside.
And froze.
His eye twitched.
It wasn’t the animals.
Lying beside him was Cleopatra, dressed in a soft linen kalasiris, her hair spilling across the pillow.
Ryo’s eyes widened into saucers.
He whispered frantically, “Don’t tell me I did something to her before falling asleep—no, wait! We were just talking, I was about to leave, I laid down for a second, exhaustion hit me, and I fell asleep… right?!”
He said it out loud—but doubt gnawed at him anyway.
“What if I did something unsafe with her without knowing?!” He thought.
Cleopatra woke up.
She slowly opened her eyes, rubbed them gently, and smiled faintly. “Good morning, honey.”
Then—without missing a beat—she added mischievously, “Last night… you were incredible. You weakened me so much I almost passed out~.”
Ryo clutched his head with both hands, panicking. “AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!”
Cleopatra sat up, wrapping her arms around him and resting her cheek on his shoulder.
“You don’t need to scream like that, sweetheart” she whispered sultrily, still lying. “If you want to continue where we left off last night, I’m ready whenever you are. One? Two? Three kids? I’m open to more~.”
Ryo leaned back, letting her go, flailing his arms. “WAIT—WAIT—WAIT!”
He pointed at her, “I KNOW THIS SCRIPT!”
“This is that classic ‘wake-up panic romance trap’—where the girl gaslights the guy into thinking he committed an off-screen crime and now has to take responsibility for something that absolutely did not happen!”
Silence.
Cleopatra looked genuinely disappointed.
She whispered under her breath, “I really wish you weren’t this self-aware… I could’ve taken full advantage of you.”
“What was that?” Ryo asked. He hadn’t heard her clearly.
Cleopatra gently shook her head. “It’s nothing.”
She sighed, then finally admitted she was joking.
Ryo felt his soul return to his body.
However—she did explain that after leaving the room last night, she originally planned to sleep elsewhere. But halfway through, she decided it would be a waste not to sleep beside her “husband” and came back.
That explanation… did not help Ryo’s anxiety.
Cleopatra stood and invited him to the sacred garden behind the temple, where her servants had already prepared breakfast.
They left the bedroom and walked through the halls until they reached the garden.
White Rabbit and Cheshire were already seated on a woven reed mat, food and drinks laid out neatly by the servants. The two animals happily called them over.
Ryo and Cleopatra joined them, sitting cross-legged as they began eating.
Ryo noticed Cheshire no longer looked down. Remembering how upset he had been in the underground chamber after facing Osiris, Ryo asked about it.
Cheshire explained that he had felt like a failure—but after talking things out with White Rabbit and receiving encouragement, he regained his confidence.
White Rabbit puffed up proudly.
To Ryo, that was… unexpected coming from the rabbit.
Ryo asked about Aiseira.
Cleopatra said she was still asleep.
Ryo admitted he hoped she wouldn’t lash out once she woke up. Cleopatra laughed softly and assured him she would smooth things over later.
Ryo suddenly remembered their bicycles were still at the waystation and panicked.
White Rabbit calmly reassured him. After noticing Ryo fall asleep the previous night, White Rabbit had returned to the waystation and asked the guards there to transport the bikes to this temple.
They were now parked safely at the front entrance, guarded by the jackal-masked guards.
Ryo was relieved.
White Rabbit asked when they planned to leave Ekhropolis for Mydrovith.
Ryo said they would depart in an hour, but would stop by Alice’s prison in the Central Hub first to question Ra before heading to the next realm.
Cleopatra and Cheshire wished them good luck.
After breakfast, Ryo and White Rabbit washed up in the bathing room, soaking in a massive alabaster tub while servants poured warm water over them—an experience that was awkward, embarrassing, and impossible to get used to.
Once finished, they returned to their rooms, put on their clothes, got ready, and prepared to depart.
The time in Wonderland was now 8 AM
White Rabbit and Ryo stepped out of the temple, their bikes—still guarded—were handed back to them by the jackal-masked guards. Ryo thanked them, and the two mounted their bikes.
Before they could leave, Cleopatra and Cheshire also emerged from the temple. Cheshire asked if he could ride on Ryo’s shoulder and accompany him to the Ekhropolis entrance, explaining that he just needed a quick ride before resuming his guard duty there. Ryo shrugged and agreed. Cheshire leapt onto his shoulder with ease.
Ryo and White Rabbit began pedaling away as Cleopatra waved them off.
As they passed through the ancient city, Ryo finally noticed something he hadn’t seen yesterday, when he and White Rabbit had arrived at this realm during sunset—CCTV cameras installed on nearly every building. The evening shadows had hidden them before, but now, in the clear morning light, they were plainly visible.
“So this is how Alice was being monitored 24/7,” he thought.
They rode until they reached the entrance of the realm and came to a stop. Cheshire hopped down from Ryo’s shoulder. The black-furred cat who had been covering his post greeted him, and the two exchanged quick nods before waving goodbye to Ryo and White Rabbit.
The pair crossed the limestone bridge and entered the Central Hub of Wonderland once more.
Ryo suggested taking a shortcut to the prison building and asked White Rabbit if he knew one. Unfortunately, White Rabbit only knew the long route—as usual, living up to his reputation for always being late without trying.
Along the way, they encountered envoys from the Xianglura and Mydrovith realms. Ryo and White Rabbit slowed to a stop and asked for directions to a shortcut to the prison. The envoys pointed out a faster route, and after thanking them, the two resumed pedaling.
They soon passed through a vast field of giant sunflowers with smiling faces. The flowers swayed in unison, greeting them in musical harmony.
“Good moooorning, travelers of wheels and haste~”
“May your path bloom bright and your pedals spin true~”
“Oh riders of dawn, welcome the day~”
“Sing, sing, sing—good morning to you~”
“La-la-la~ the sun greets you too~”
Ryo waved back with one hand. “Good morning to you all too! Tell that rat from the Rodent’s Cheddar Kingdom to give you better lyrics.”
The sunflowers paused mid-sway and exchanged confused glances among themselves.
“Rodent’s… Cheddar Kingdom?”
“Is that a new realm?”
“Is there really one made of cheese in Wonderland?”
“Do rats compose music now?”
“He’s probably talking about that mouse who’s participating in the Caucus Race in the Mydrovith Realm today—but I thought he was bad at singing.”
Not long after, Ryo and White Rabbit finally reached Alice’s prison building.
However, they immediately noticed something was wrong.
A large crowd of people from the legal sector surrounded the building, shouting and protesting, demanding Ra’s release.
“FREE RA!”
“THE TRIAL IS A FARCE!”
“THE QUEEN RIGS EVERYTHING!”
“RELEASE THE WHITE KNIGHT!”
“WE DEMAND A FAIR COURT!”
“JUSTICE FOR RA!”
“DOWN WITH THE CROWN PROSECUTORS!”
Dureifa and ten Valkyries stood at the front of the building, panic etched on their faces as they struggled desperately to hold them back.
“PLEASE EVERYONE! CALM DOWN!” They yelled.
Ryo frowned, scanning the crowd. “What’s going on?”
“I’m quite unsure,” White Rabbit said. “But these people from the Legal Sector have never acted like this before in front of Alice’s prison.”
Ryo and White Rabbit noticed familiar faces at the very back of the crowd.
Höðr.
His wife, Yrsa.
And their daughter, Runa.
Ryo stepped off his bicycle and approached them, while White Rabbit stayed mounted—well aware that neither the family nor the other people of the Legal Sector held a good image of him.
“Pleasure to meet you all again,” Ryo said calmly. “May I ask what’s going on here?”
Höðr stiffened and turned sharply.
“That voice… Surface man!” he said, restless and tense.
Ryo immediately raised both hands. “Woah! Easy there.”
Yrsa placed a hand on her husband’s shoulder. “Please, sweetheart. Calm down.”
Suddenly—
“ALIIIIICEEE!” Runa cried out, her voice cracking.
Höðr took a breath and steadied himself before explaining.
“We heard Ra was captured,” he said. “Which means he can no longer distribute his amulets to those wishing to leave Wonderland safely—to an era untouched by extinction.”
Ryo already knew this.
“Then why is the entire legal sector panicking?” He asked. “I thought only your family needed the amulet.”
Yrsa nodded. “That’s true. It was my proposal, and my family agreed. But after you and White Rabbit left yesterday, we discovered others from the legal sector had been eavesdropping behind our tent and asked us about it.”
Höðr continued. “They wanted in as well. They hoped to meet Ra today in Ekhropolis and obtain the amulets.”
His jaw tightened. “However…”
Yrsa finished his sentence. “Before we could head to Ekhropolis, we learned Ra had already been captured—and imprisoned here with Alice.”
Her voice lowered. “He’s scheduled to be executed alongside her after the final trial… if you lose, Surface man.”
“ALIIIIIIIICCEE—HUAAAAA!” Runa continued crying, clutching at her mother’s clothing.
It was clear to Ryo—she wasn’t crying over the amulet.
She was crying for Alice.
“Are you alright, kid?” Ryo asked.
Runa sniffled hard.
“Alice…” she whimpered. “She’s going to be executed… in four days…”
Ryo placed a hand gently on her shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. Leave your friend to me.”
Yrsa looked at him carefully. “Why are you here, Surface man?”
“I’m here to question Ra,” Ryo replied. “I already know he was captured. I’m also his attorney now—alongside Alice.”
The family fell silent.
That answer clearly stunned them.
“I’ll be going in now,” Ryo said.
Ryo knew the only way to get into the prison building was with an authorized official—and that official was his client, White Rabbit. He called out, and White Rabbit reluctantly got off his bike.
Ryo stepped toward him.
White Rabbit said he wasn’t sure he could get through the crowd—he knew the Legal Sector despised him. Without warning, Ryo scooped him up and place him on his shoulder. White Rabbit yelped quietly, clutching Ryo’s head as Ryo pushed forward through the crowd.
They stopped when they reached Dureifa, stationed at the prison entrance.
Ryo requested entry.
Dureifa looked up, exhausted, then glanced at White Rabbit perched awkwardly on Ryo’s shoulder.
“Permission… granted…” she said wearily.
Another Card Soldier gestured toward the door. “Come. I shall open it for you.”
As the soldier moved toward the entrance, Ryo followed—then froze.
He glanced to the side of the prison door.
The Sun Wukong statue was gone.
Ryo had planned to place the Amulet of Warding around the Monkey King’s neck to undo the petrification.
He asked where the statue had gone.
The card soldier explained that, believing Sun Wukong had been turned to stone by Medusa, they contacted an imperial courier from the Xianglura Realm last night and had the statue retrieved and returned there.
Ryo groaned inwardly. “Great… just my luck… now I have to go there too.”
He sighed internally. “Well… I’m heading there anyway after Mydrovith.”
The prison door opened.
Ryo and White Rabbit entered the building.
Inside, behind the cell bars, sat Alice and Ra together.
“My attorney! White Rabbit!” Alice called out.
Ra remained silent, staring directly at Ryo.
White Rabbit hopped down from Ryo’s shoulder and rushed to the bars, gripping them.
“Alice, we’re here to question Ra.”
Alice blinked, confused. “Question… White Knight?”
Ra continued staring.
Then he finally spoke. “It’s usele—”
“Yeah. Useless,” Ryo cut in flatly. “You’re about to tell me to go home, right, Mr. Spin-off White Knight? I’m sure you’ll repeat that about a thousand times.”
Ra huffed and looked away. “I never asked you to represent me as my attorney.”
Ryo crossed his arms. “My priority here is to save Alice. Unfortunately, you got wrapped up into it too. So you either cooperate, or you keep being a pain in the neck and telling me to go home—and don’t give me that bullshi*t about wanting to die a martyr.”
He moved closer, then dropped down cross legged in front of the cell.
“Because here’s the thing,” he continued, his tone cold. “The moment I lose, I know that damn Queen won’t just execute you two. It’ll be everyone’s head in Wonderland.”
A smirk tugged at his lips, dark and humorless. “Sounds like the kind of extinction she loves—done playfully, doesn’t it? One by one. Slow. And she’s going to savor every single moment.”
Ra exhaled heavily. “You just said exactly what I told Alice last night.”
He straightened. “Very well.”
Ra met Ryo’s eyes. “I shall tell you everything I know.”
Ryo took out his notebook and pen, ready for questioning.
He asked Ra how he got captured. Ra explained that he suspected someone within Ekhropolis was tailing him and reporting to the blighted deities.
Ryo then asked why he had been at the underground chamber beneath the Sphinx, and why it was a place no one in the Ekhropolis Realm knew about. Ra replied that the chamber had been secretly granted to him by Anubis. It was originally a place for Anubis to escape from tiring governmental matters—sometimes even gods need rest.
However, Ra had also told Anubis that he wanted a hidden location to craft his amulets in secret, so he could give them away to secretly free people from Wonderland and allow them to enter a non-extinction era, avoiding the Queen’s playtime executions. Anubis granted him the underground chamber, even though Ekhropolis had existed for only two months. Ryo then asked why Zeuras and Sun Wukong also had an amulet. Ra explained that only a few strong pantheons possess one, and those who do are very skilled at keeping them hidden.
Ryo asked if he had ever freed anyone from Wonderland using his amulets. Ra said no—unfortunately, all rabbit holes were heavily guarded by card soldiers. Only those with explicit permission from the Queen of Hearts could enter the rabbit holes and exit into the Upper Worlds, solely to gather knowledge from the present-day timeline to benefit Wonderland.
Ryo then asked whether the Queen of Hearts knew about his amulets before he crafted them in secret. Ra said yes—he had presented a prototype to her, originally as part of a plan to bring knowledge from the Upper Worlds back to Wonderland. He had silently hoped the Queen would use that knowledge to halt her playtime executions. Zeus even volunteered to help, traveling to the Upper Worlds himself to gather the information using the amulet.
Despite all the benefits returned, which had elevated Wonderland, the Queen of Hearts was still not satisfied unless she saw blood. This disappointed Ra and Zeus after all their hard work. Ryo remembered how asking about the Queen often made people refuse to answer out of fear, as he had seen with Aiseira.
But he needed a direct answer, so he asked Ra to be blunt.
Ra answered without hesitation. About a month and a half ago, the Queen had caused colossal destruction in Wonderland after Alice temporarily stopped the executions. Her bloodlust was too strong to contain, and she erupted, destroying half of the Central Hub. At that time, Ra, White Rabbit, and Alice were traveling together within the Central Hub. Ra was protecting Alice from the blighted deities, who were ordered to find her. The Queen’s rampage was uncontrollable—she became like a monster, feared even by the pantheons of Wonderland.
Ryo internally groaned. “Perfect… just what I needed. The Queen of Hearts isn’t just a bloodthirsty killer—she’s a monster. Totally nothing like the storybook description.”
Ryo then asked why he hadn’t seen any signs of the destruction in the Central Hub. Ra explained that Zeus had repaired everything using his divine magic within a single day. During the rampage, even the Blighted Deities—strong as they were—had failed to stop the Queen, allowing her to finish her destruction for the sake of their own safety.
Ryo asked what made the Queen so powerful. Ra said he wasn’t sure, but there were rumors that she had obtained dark, malevolent power from someone.
The words “dark” and “malevolent” immediately reminded Ryo of something he wished he could forget.
Ryo then asked about the dinosaurs that had appeared in Son Doong and whether Ra was responsible for them. Ra denied it, but then pointed to Alice’s neck. He explained that he had once given Alice an amulet when she saved people from Egypt in the Upper World during an extinction event of that time, and she had led them to the rabbit hole into Wonderland. However, the amulet was now gone.
That was all the information Ryo needed: he figured that someone connected to the Queen of Hearts—or perhaps the Queen herself—had taken the amulet from Alice and was responsible for causing the dinosaurs to appear in Son Doong. He also assumed that there must be a rabbit hole somewhere in the prehistoric era.
Lastly, Ryo asked why Aiseira acted as Ra’s proxy. Ra explained that he hadn’t wanted to assign a proxy, but since Aiseira wanted him to build his amulets in secret, he decided to let her act on his behalf. She effectively took over his duties while he was away. Ra also speculated that, since he was often absent and rarely appeared before the Queen, someone had likely begun tailing him—probably under the Queen’s orders, though he wasn’t sure whether it was her direct command or if the person simply wanted to avoid her playtime executions and impress her by taking on this task, assigned or not.
With that, the questioning ended.
“Thanks for the answers,” Ryo said, pocketing his pen and notebook.
Ryo stood up, ready to leave with White Rabbit—but before he could take a step—
“My attorney!” Alice called out innocently.
Ryo turned back to her, offering an easy smile. “Yeah, kid?”
Alice lowered her gaze for a moment.
Then she looked up again, her expression firm, unwavering. “I trust you!”
Ryo paused—then smiled.
He raised his thumb confidently. “Thanks for trusting me. This job might be tough, but I’m not the type to walk away.”
Alice nodded, holding onto that reassurance.
With that, Ryo and White Rabbit exited the prison building.
Outside, the people from the Legal Sector were still in uproar—chants, protests, and voices demanding Ra’s release echoed through the area, secretly hoping to obtain an amulet from him.
Once more, Ryo scooped up White Rabbit, pushed through the dense crowd, and made it back to their bicycles before getting on.
Ryo squinted at his client. “You know a shortcut to the Mydrovith realm… right?”
White Rabbit let out an awkward chuckle, rubbing the back of his head. “It would be… quite the distance.”
Of course.
The rabbit only knew the long way.
Before they could leave, familiar figures approached—Höðr, Yrsa, and Runa.
Runa tugged at Ryo’s sleeve, eyes anxious. “How is Alice?”
Ryo softened. “Your friend’s holding up. A bit worried—but she’s strong.”
Runa nodded, though the concern didn’t fully leave her face.
Then Ryo’s eyes lit up with realization. These three—former Mydrovith natives.
“Say,” he asked, “you wouldn’t happen to know a shortcut to Mydrovith, would you?”
Höðr and Yrsa nodded.
They gave him clear directions.
Ryo grinned. “That helps a lot. Thanks.”
He reached into his pocket and handed Runa a piece of chocolate bar.
She pouted—clearly unhappy at being treated like a child again—but still accepted it.
With no more time to waste, Ryo and White Rabbit began pedaling again, following the hidden route toward the next realm.
The air shifted.
The path ahead grew colder.
Ryo looked forward, eyes sharp.
Ahead awaited a land of frost.
The Norse Lands.
And whatever truths lay there… regarding the murdered person of that realm… and the disappearance of Thor… would not stay buried—not under Ryo’s watch.
Meanwhile…
At the Queen of Heart’s palace…
Petyr Pann, in his room, was gathering devices and placing them into his bag for livestreaming the Caucus Race in Mydrovith.
“Drones… mic… camera… controller… yup, all set!” he muttered.
Then suddenly, someone kicked his door open—and it broke.
“PIRATE BOOOOOOYY!!!” Nezha shouted cheerfully.
Petyr jumped, startled. “WOAH!” He then pointed at him, clearly annoyed. “What’s the big deal?! Can’t you knock instead of breaking the damn door?!”
“Hahaha… sorry about that,” Nezha chuckled, stepping inside. “And hey, guess what! I met your anime rival back in Ekhropolis yesterday, and you know what he did? Total movie move! Like a protagonist diving in to save a girl right before my Ruyi Jingu Bang would’ve hit her—exactly when I swung it!”
Petyr narrowed his eyes, unimpressed. “Heyyyyy, please don’t tell me you wrecked him already. I’m supposed to finish him later.”
Nezha’s eyes flicked to the bag. “Oh? You’re packing for the grand event today?”
“Yeah,” Petyr said. “Gotta livestream everything… while causing a ‘little’… destruction during the Caucus Race. But I need someone to control the drones.”
Nezha snapped his fingers. “I got an idea! What if the Valkyries handle the controls? They used to live in Mydrovith, right? They’d know that place way better with the drones.”
Then Nezha paused. “Hold on a sec—won’t the Caucus race already be broadcast locally? Their own cameras, the CCTVs, will record everything. There’s gonna be a big screen for the public to watch from, and all the CCTVs in Mydrovith are set up to film the race. So… what are all these devices you’re bringing for?”
Petyr shrugged. “That clown faced queen wants secret, private footage. Just for herself. She wants to watch the participants get injured—hopes some even die—from ‘accidents’ secretly caused by me, Loki, and Carabosse.”
“Maaaaaan, I’m jealous of you!” Nezha said, smacking Petyr’s back.
Suddenly, a voice shouted outside the door. “LITTLE BOY!”
Petyr and Nezha flinched, falling to the floor.
The person who stepped inside was Carabosse, and she didn’t look like she was in a good mood.
Petyr looked up at her with a sheepish grin before standing. “Oh! Your Grace… why did you, uhh… shout?”
Carabosse glared, whispering furiously. “It’s nothing, little boy… I’m in a completely great mood!”
Petyr and Nezha were internally baffled. “Are you sure about that?”
Carabosse was frustrated. She had searched all of Mydrovith and Ekhropolis for the tablet she needed to craft the new Celestial Compass, but still couldn’t find it.
“Are you ready now?” Carabosse asked, her tone sharp and demanding. “We should be off to Mydrovith.”
Petyr and Nezha saluted sharply.
“YES, YOUR GRACE!” they said in unison.
Petyr side-eyed Nezha, muttering. “But you’re not coming, bruh…”
Petyr puts on his bag.
Loki appeared at the door. “Are you two ready?”
Carabosse snapped her fan open, raising it to cover her mouth.
“Why, of course. Please do lead the way,” she said, then played dumb. “To… wherever this Mydrovith realm of yours is, Ms. Loki.”
Petyr stepped forward, grinning. “Ready when you are!”
They all headed to the palace courtyard, ready to take flight.
Petyr raised a hand. “Please hold on a sec, I need to refuel on Pixie grains.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a Canopic Jar of Nephthys. Opening it, he shook it over his other hand, then lifted it to pour the pixie grains over himself. Suddenly, his body sparkled with sinister purple light.
Carabosse stared at the Canopic Jar. “Where did you get that, little boy?”
“This thing?” Petyr pointed at the Canopic Jar. “I got it from Nephthys,” he giggled. “Guess what? I heard from her that she was trapped in here for centuries after she committed suicide and was turned to ash after being cremated—she was pissed about that! But centuries later, she busted out of this jar and regained her full form. Classic revival trope, WHEW! That Crimson Sorceress had one hell of a time in here. She gave this to me for my pixie grains to contain because she doesn’t want to see this jar ever again—bad vibes only.”
“Nephthys…” Carabosse muttered, then asked, “Where is she now? I haven’t seen her in a while.”
“Oh, she’s in Camelot now in the Upper Worlds, watching over the Frostreavers gang I stole from Kaj back in the kingdom of Glacindor, in the Fairytale World, almost two decades ago,” Petyr explained. “HAHAHAHAHAHA WOOOOOH!!! You should’ve seen him raging back then! That useless guy didn’t know I was the one who controlled them before he ditched them to hunt down his daughter Cinderella and then—”
“That’s enough!” Loki snapped, cutting him off. “We need to head to Mydrovith NOW!”
Loki cast divine flight magic. Frosted winds swirled around her, lifting her from her feet as she soared into the sky.
Black miasma began swirling from Carabosse’s feet, and she shot upward, taking to the air as well.
As for Petyr, purple sparkles surrounded him before he shot into the sky, spinning wildly as both purple sparkles and black miasma erupted from his feet.
“YEEEEEEEEHAAAAWWW!!!!”
And the three of them headed to the Mydrovith Realm, ready to wreak havoc during the Caucus Race.
Nezha remained behind, staring skyward, throwing his arms up. “SHEEEEEEEEEESSSHHHHH! I wanted to go too!!”
Back in Ekhropolis…
At the Temple of the Midnight Jackal…
Aiseira lay asleep in her room when a sudden thud struck the window ledge.
A figure wearing a Chinese curtained hat and a forest-green silk robe landed lightly outside, framed by the morning light.
Aiseira stirred. Still groggy, she rubbed her eyes and slowly pushed herself upright in bed, squinting toward the window.
“mmmm…” she mumbled, voice thick with sleep. “Who… are you…?”
The figure remained a dark silhouette, the sunrise casting her entirely in shadow.
She smirked.
“Ara ara~ finally awake, you sleeping goddess~?” she teased.
“That voice…” Aiseira whispered, then gasped.
She knew that voice.
Her eyes widened, and she sat up straight. “You’re… Lady Hatter!” she panted. “What are you doing here?!”
Then she looked around the room. “Where am I?”
She realized she was in Cleopatra’s temple, in one of the rooms.
Still smirking, Lady Hatter raised a finger to her lips.
“sssshhhhh,” she whispered smoothly. “Not too loud.”
She continued, voice lowering. “I have something the Queen of Hearts wants. And in exchange… you can free Ra.”
“What is it?! Whatever it takes—tell me! Give it to me!” Aiseira begged.
Lady Hatter’s eyes narrowed.
“I can’t give it to you yet,” she said calmly. “Not unless you do me a favor.”
“I SHALL DO ANYTHING!” Aiseira cried, desperation breaking through as she leaned forward.
“If it is in exchange for my life—I'll gladly—”
“Come with me.” Lady Hatter cut her off gently.
She removed her curtained hat, revealing her face, then tossed it toward Aiseira.
Aiseira caught it instinctively.
From within her robe, Lady Hatter pulled out a folded top hat. With a flick, it unfolded back into its proper shape. She placed it atop her head and extended her hand.
“It involves taking down Surface Man,” she said. “When he reaches the Xianglura Realm.”
A deadly glint flashed in Aiseira’s eyes. Shadows crept over her gaze as her voice dropped to a whisper.
“He let my Sovereign be taken by the blighted deities…”
Her tone sharpened, burning with fury. “Unforgivable!”
She placed the curtained hat upon her head and rose from the bed.
“Follow me, darling,” Lady Hatter murmured.
She turned, revealing a fox tail swaying behind her—then leapt out the window.
Aiseira sprinted after her and launched herself out the open window, wings flaring as she followed Lady Hatter into the morning sky.
Together, they would carry out a plan.
To take down the detective…
…once he and White rabbit reached the Xianglura Realm.
Cleopatra entered the room and looked around, puzzled. “Aiseira…?”
0
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1分で読める！読切超短編小説
新作短編小説は全てこちらに投稿。
⭐️忘れずに！コメントお待ちしております。
意味が分かると怖い話（解説付き）
彦彦炎
ホラー
一見普通のよくある話ですが、矛盾に気づけばゾッとするはずです
読みながら話に潜む違和感を探してみてください
最後に解説も載せていますので、是非読んでみてください
実話も混ざっております
春の雨はあたたかいー家出JKがオッサンの嫁になって女子大生になるまでのお話
登夢
恋愛
春の雨の夜に出会った訳あり家出JKと真面目な独身サラリーマンの1年間の同居生活を綴ったラブストーリーです。私は家出JKで春の雨の日の夜に駅前にいたところオッサンに拾われて家に連れ帰ってもらった。家出の訳を聞いたオッサンは、自分と同じに境遇に同情して私を同居させてくれた。同居の代わりに私は家事を引き受けることにしたが、真面目なオッサンは私を抱こうとしなかった。18歳になったときオッサンにプロポーズされる。
クラスのマドンナがなぜか俺のメイドになっていた件について
沢田美
恋愛
名家の御曹司として何不自由ない生活を送りながらも、内気で陰気な性格のせいで孤独に生きてきた裕貴真一郎（ゆうき しんいちろう）。
かつてのいじめが原因で、彼は1年間も学校から遠ざかっていた。
しかし、久しぶりに登校したその日――彼は運命の出会いを果たす。
現れたのは、まるで絵から飛び出してきたかのような美少女。
その瞳にはどこかミステリアスな輝きが宿り、真一郎の心をかき乱していく。
「今日から私、あなたのメイドになります！」
なんと彼女は、突然メイドとして彼の家で働くことに！？
謎めいた美少女と陰キャ御曹司の、予測不能な主従ラブコメが幕を開ける！
カクヨム、小説家になろうの方でも連載しています！
〈社会人百合〉アキとハル
みなはらつかさ
恋愛
女の子拾いました――。
ある朝起きたら、隣にネイキッドな女の子が寝ていた！？
主人公・紅（くれない）アキは、どういったことかと問いただすと、酔っ払った勢いで、彼女・葵（あおい）ハルと一夜をともにしたらしい。
しかも、ハルは失踪中の大企業令嬢で……？
絵：Novel AI
俺様上司に今宵も激しく求められる。
美凪ましろ
恋愛
鉄面皮。無表情。一ミリも笑わない男。
蒔田一臣、あたしのひとつうえの上司。
ことあるごとに厳しくあたしを指導する、目の上のたんこぶみたいな男――だったはずが。
「おまえの顔、えっろい」
神様仏様どうしてあたしはこの男に今宵も激しく愛しこまれているのでしょう。
――2000年代初頭、IT系企業で懸命に働く新卒女子×厳しめの俺様男子との恋物語。
＊＊2026.01.02start～2026.01.17end＊＊
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